Watertown Rapids "Squirt" Hockey Program hope to be Buffalo-Bound in '12 for the 2012 Pepsi Hockey Invitational

 Just between Syracuse, NY and Kingston, ON...just off of I-81... lays the picturesque town of Watertown, NY. It's a town dominated by the Black River, Jefferson Community College and The Fort Drum Army Installation (Home of the 10th Mountain Division). It's also a town that loves Hockey. But then again, what did you expect, with all levels of Hockey from College to the NHL, all within three hours from the city limits.

And in this Hockey-mad town, The Watertown Rapids "Squirts" of the Watertown Hockey Association spend their weekends challenging all opponents on the frozen arenas of Northern New York. They're a diverse group of nine and ten year-old kids who come from all walks of life. We have Military kids (whose mother or father may be deployed at any time). We have lifelong residents of this beautiful town, and we have some who are so new to the area, that their parents still need directions to opponents arenas. The one thing that all these kids do have in common...is Hockey.

Every year, these mighty warriors of the ice have their season culminate with a trip to one of the best Minor Hockey Tournaments in New York...The Pepsi Invitational. It's a tournament where the teams play in a round robin fashion, ending with the crowning of another Champion. The Rapids have always been there, and hope to once again head West to Buffalo in March of 2012. Unfortunately, their annual trip West may be in jeopardy this year.

We're all aware of the financial crunch that this Country has been facing these days. People everywhere have been having to tighten their belts. Hockey is an incredibly expensive sport that promises a parent nothing but memories, friendships and crippling financial costs. The Buffalo Tournament cost $695 to attend. It may not seem like much, but it's a cost that is above and beyond the $500+ that parents already spend just to register their kids for Hockey.

That is why I'm coming to you today. My son (#12) is one the talented kids that make up this team, and just like him, I know that the teams hearts would be crushed if we were not able to attend this year. On the right hand side of the screen (under the photo of yours truly), you might have seen the donate button. All donations received will be used exclusively for The Pepsi Invitational. You can donate as little as $1, or as much as you see fit. Everything in this case helps.

Below, I've included some of the background information on both The Pepsi Invitational and The Watertown Hockey Association. I certainly do hope that you will consider a small donation to help these kids get to Buffalo. They may not all be future pro hockey players...but when they get to go to a Tournament like The Pepsi Invitational...they sure do feel like one. Thank you again for your support.

http://www.holidayrinks.com/content/pages/pepsi-tournament

Holiday Twin Rinks & Leisure Rinks, along with the Pepsi Bottling Group, are proud to invite your organization or team to our 36th Annual "PEPSI HOCKEY INVITATIONAL" tournament. This year more than 265 teams from the United States and Canada will compete for House League and Travel Championships between March 9 - April 7, 2012. We encourage you to come and experience one of North America's most exciting amateur hockey events. 

http://www.eteamz.com/watertownhockeyassociation/

Since its organization in 1958, the Watertown Skating and Hockey Association, Inc., has remained true to its original purpose of developing “the health and cultural growth of youth in the community” through participation in athletics.  Over the past 50 years the Association’s volunteers have coached, trained and mentored thousands of children in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.  The Association has skaters on the ice ranging in age from 3 to 18 years old.  Our teams compete throughout New York and Canada and we play host to several hockey tournaments in Watertown each season.  The Association is the local affiliated organization of USA Hockey, Inc., the national governing body for the sport of hockey in the United States.  We take pride in the strict standards of coach education, qualifications and screening required by USA Hockey.  The quality and dedication of our coaches and volunteer management and staff is directly reflected the years of loyalty of our many skaters and parents.  Besides training athletic skill and teaching a sport, our coaches strive to develop character, sportsmanship, and overall physical fitness.  Our mission is to provide each child with the opportunity to grow socially, learn mental and physical discipline and experience the power of teamwork and collective competitiveness.  The Association looks forward to another 50 years of developing civic minded, responsible citizens through youth sport.